LIFE looked grim for a German Shepherd puppy who was found tied to a lamp post and tormented by youths with fireworks.

But young Jake has come through his traumatic early life and has emerged as a fully-fledged police dog with Northumbria Police.

Jake was only seven weeks old when he was rescued after being found tied up in the street.

He was taken in by the German Shepherd Rescue Centre and, after two false starts in homes that did not prove suitable, was taken on as a recruit by Northumbria's dog section.

He proved more than up to the job, completing his basic training and becoming a full licensed police dog as he celebrated his first birthday.

And he was happy to show just how well he was doing when he put on a crowd-pleasing display at the Northumbria Police open day at Gateshead, attended by up to 20,000 people last month.

PC Gil Crossley, an instructor in the dog section who has trained Jake since his arrival, said: "Initially and probably not surprisingly, bearing in mind how he was found, he was both very nervous and aggressive around people.

"Now he's a totally changed dog, a lot more confident and happier around people. He's good at all police tasks - criminal work, chase and attacks, gun attack, stick attack and stand-off, where the dog stops the criminal and simply barks.

"For such a young dog, he does everything to quite a good standard and has already worked at three football matches."